Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"To the Sun" by Ignatius Royston Dunnachie Campbell is a deeply symbolic and religious meditation that merges the natural and the divine, using the sun as a metaphorical lens to understand the life of Christ. The speaker, addressing the sun, asks for its brightness to "grow dim" in order to see beyond its blinding light and perceive Christ in His various aspects. Campbell explores this vision through the prism of color, associating each hue of the spectrum with a specific moment in Christ's life, creating a vivid and imaginative portrayal of the miraculous.

The poem begins with the plea for the sun to dim, referring to it as the "mirror and the shield" of Christ. This imagery immediately establishes the sun as a mediator between the speaker and the divine. The sun reflects and shields the full intensity of Christ’s divinity, and the speaker’s desire for it to "grow dim" suggests a yearning to pierce through the brilliance of this natural force to glimpse the divine reality beyond it. In Christian theology, light often symbolizes God’s presence, and Campbell builds on this tradition by using the sun to represent the overwhelming radiance of Christ. By asking for the sun’s brilliance to lessen, the speaker seeks an experience that is both profound and more accessible—a partial revelation, "half the miracle revealed."

The central conceit of the poem is the association of Christ’s life with the seven colors of the spectrum. Each color corresponds to a different moment or aspect of Christ’s life, creating a vibrant, multi-dimensional portrayal. The speaker begins with "The Blue Man walking on the Sea," an allusion to Christ’s miracle of walking on water. Blue, often associated with calm and serenity, here reflects the tranquility and supernatural power of Christ’s dominion over nature.

The next color, green, is linked to Christ’s ministry on earth: "The Green, beneath the summer tree, / Who called the children." Green is the color of life and growth, and it evokes Christ’s role as a teacher and nurturer. The image of Christ "calling the children" refers to His welcoming of the young and innocent, as depicted in the Gospels. This peaceful and nurturing aspect of Christ is followed by the "Gold," symbolizing His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, a moment of celebration and acknowledgment of His kingship, marked by the waving of palm branches.

However, the tone shifts with "the Orange, flaring bold / With scourges," a reference to Christ’s suffering during His trial and scourging before the crucifixion. Orange, often associated with fire and intensity, captures the violence and pain of this moment. The color purple, traditionally linked with royalty and suffering, appears next, associated with Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Purple in the garden (As Greco saw)." Campbell references the Spanish painter El Greco, whose depictions of Christ’s Passion are known for their use of vivid, elongated forms and intense, spiritual emotion. In this context, purple represents the combination of Christ’s divine kingship and His deep human suffering.

The final color in the spectrum is red, connected to Christ’s crucifixion: "The Red / Torero (Him who took the toss / And rode the black horns of the cross)." Here, Campbell likens Christ to a torero, a bullfighter who faces the dangerous "black horns" of the bull. This vivid metaphor emphasizes the physical and spiritual struggle of the crucifixion, as Christ faces death head-on, taking the "toss"—the ultimate sacrifice on the cross. The bull, traditionally a symbol of brute force and death, becomes the vehicle through which Christ confronts His fate. The "black horns of the cross" evoke the power and danger of the crucifixion, yet the metaphor of the torero suggests not defeat, but skill, bravery, and control in the face of death.

The poem concludes with the triumphant image of resurrection: "But rose snow-silver from the dead!" The contrast between the earlier, fiery colors and the final "snow-silver" highlights the purity and miraculous nature of Christ’s resurrection. Silver, a color associated with light, purity, and redemption, signifies the transformative power of Christ’s return from death, a central tenet of Christian faith. By rising "snow-silver," Christ transcends the brutality of the crucifixion, embodying hope, renewal, and eternal life.

Structurally, the poem’s rhythm and rhyme scheme contribute to its fluidity and sense of progression. The ABAB rhyme pattern supports the unfolding of the speaker’s vision, moving smoothly through each color and its corresponding moment in Christ’s life. This formal structure mirrors the spectrum of light itself, suggesting a harmonious unity between the natural world (represented by the sun) and the divine mystery of Christ.

Ultimately, "To the Sun" is a meditation on the relationship between the natural and the spiritual, with the sun serving as both a physical and metaphorical bridge to the divine. Campbell’s use of color to explore different aspects of Christ’s life creates a richly textured and imaginative portrayal of the Savior, blending natural imagery with religious symbolism. The poem emphasizes the paradoxical nature of Christ—both human and divine, suffering and triumphant—and invites the reader to reflect on the ways in which the divine can be glimpsed through the world around us.

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